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ABUJA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The non-issuance of visas to members of Nigeria U17 female basketball team by the Spanish Embassy is causing furore in the West African country, particularly as the team forfeited their game against Canada and Japan in the ongoing FIBA Women's World Championship in Spain.
In line with FIBA's rules, Nigeria was credited with forfeits for being absent for the game against Canada on Wednesday and against Japan on Thursday.
This development has evoked outrage among sports stakeholders in the country, the latest being the local sports journalists' association calling for an urgent probe, by the government, of the non-issuance of visas to the Nigerian contingent by the Spanish Embassy.
In a letter to the sports minister, the journalists pointed out that the incident amounted to "denial and embarrassment to the country, waste of the investment, time and efforts committed in preparing the athletes, infliction of emotional trauma and discouragement of the athletes".
The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) and the Spanish Consulate have denied responsibility for the failure of the trip. Enditem
